Guinness has tried several times over the years to produce a brand that could create additional sales beyond their stouts (i.e. Guinness Gold), but nothing has really stuck. Black Lager may turn out the same way for a variety of reasons that I won't go into as this is really just about reviewing the beer itself. That said...

It's basically a German Schwarzbier, although I find it a bit on the roasty side. Sure there's a bit of caramel to the malt, and it even has some nice chocolatey tones to it, but the roastiness remains. That can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on the drinker.

The appearance is good, and it leaves some nice lacing about the glass.

The aroma is interesting with a little bit of roastiness, a hint of smokiness, and some underlying oily coffee beans.

The flavor offers a bit of dark caramel upfront, followed by some burnt sugar and subtle impressions of coffee, nuttiness, and bittersweet chocolate. The roastiness hits at mid palate, and remains straight through into the long-lingering finish. It's solid, but not particularly bitter, and fairly well-balanced. Some hops can be found as the aftertaste continues on, and they tend to give a subtle suggestion of underlying mint.

In the mouth it's medium-light in body, and fairly brisk with carbonation.

I first tried Guinness Black Lager with an open mind, and knowing its not supposed to be like the original Guinness. Hence the name Black Lager! I Liked it allot, and i am not a big lager fan. It has now become what I call my everyday drinking beer. It is a nice dark lager with a slight roasted taste.

Appearance: The beer has a dark brown color that is a bit transparent, as bits of ruby sneak through the center and tint the edges. A fizzy white head rests on top and fades casually.

Smell: Mostly I just get a faint hint of roasted grains. Sort of charred and bitter.

Taste: The flavor starts out with some dark roasted grains, a bit of coffee-like bitterness, and a bit of caramel sweetness. The second half of the sip is dominated by an earthy spiced yeast and skunky hops that remind me of ammonia. Not very good at all.

Mouthfeel: This is heavily carbonated and the fizzy nature of the beer gets in the way of the flavor.

Overall: There were very few beer options at the event I was at, so it seemed like a good idea at the time. In retrospect, I probably should have seen this coming. This is something I will not be having again. At least since they are going for that 'import' vibe I only had to have 11.2 oz. of this failed experiment.

Black in color, just like the name says and like a typical Guinness. White head poured from a bottle. Very surprised with the taste! It wasn't very thick and tasted like a very smooth lager. Smells of roasted malt and dark chocolate. This roasted taste is throughout the entire beer and makes it different.

Pours dark brown with a red hue. Has a generous brown head that fades leaving decent side glass lace.Aroma: Some light cocoa and bready malts. Taste is pretty much the same.Smooth but on the thin side. Nothing offensive but also nothing stands out to make it at all memorable.

12 oz bottle poured into Sam Adams glass. Head gone in a flash and no noticeable lacing. Aroma has that "prepared to be dissapointed Euro-lager vegetable smell" although if I dig a little deeper there's kind of a pleasant honey note. Taste is pretty bland with mild roasted malts and light hop prescence. Thin mouthfeel, kind of flat, a little dry on the finish. I realize that this beer was not aimed at someone who loves West Coast IPAs and Imperial Stouts but unlike this one, I've found most of the Guiness lineup acceptable. I'll probably see this in the future at a wedding reception as an offering to those who like better beer (it does have a cool looking bottle), but I'd probably have a Peroni or St Pauli Girl ahead of this one.